Spring is finally here. We made it through another winter, Praise God. I rejoice about the good weather even though we have many days of rain before the consistent warm weather of summer arrive. I notice new life around me, I see the first fragile leaves peeking out of the ground. I hear the buzzing of a bumblebee (my favorite bee) legs heavy with pollen, falling head first into violets. Broken blue robin egg shells lay on the grass under the maple tree, evidence that a baby hatched. As I work in my garden, I see weeds. Yes, weeds start growing and they are everywhere. So being the good gardener, I think I am. I start pulling any and all weeds in my flower beds, vegetable garden, and my lawn. I become obsessed then thoughtful. Weeds are not bad, they are plants doing what they are designed to do, grow. Weeds/plants have a purpose to propagate, provide food for animals and insects, and protect the ground. Sometimes if you are lucky, a plant begins to grow that you didn’t sew yourself, like the bountiful black raspberry bush in my back yard. I tell people God planted it.
As I ponder the purpose of the weeds in my garden, the tap root that grows deep, the one peeking out between my sidewalk, the one trying to grow up the side of my house, I realize that they are perfectly at home in my garden. They love it there and should I allow them to stay? No! I rip the weeds out of the ground, believing I got it all. But a tender root, raw from the damage, silently repairs itself and grows back. I appreciate the strength of the smallest fragment of root left behind that will grow into something green and full of life. The cycle continues.
We all have those tender roots of faith buried deep inside of us. Should we allow that tiny fragment of faith to grab onto our soul and grow into something beautiful? The youth group have been talking about Faith and what that means. Our group is digging down deep and exposing the bare earth of our heart. When the youth say “I’m afraid that God doesn’t hear me when I pray, or I’m not sure what or who God is or God seems distant and uncaring. What happens after we die?”. We advisers say, you are not alone in this struggle to believe, that we also ask the same questions. When I look at the pleading faces of our youth, I see faith trying to squeeze through the cracks and reach toward the light. I see the tap root growing deeper and wrapping it’s tendrils around the heart and soul. I see the vine creeping just along the surface, unnoticed and making it’s way on the landscape of a young life. Each week, we fertilize this garden to strengthen the faith that has begun to grow.
I remind them what Hebrews 11:6 says: and without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. It doesn’t say how much faith you need, just that you need some. It doesn’t say you have to know without a doubt that God exists. Just know there is a God and that he exists and seekers will be rewarded. Each time we get together, we learn what the bible says about God. We listen to each other’s faith journey. We mediate and pray. Faith grows.
As I ponder the purpose of the weeds in my garden, the tap root that grows deep, the one peeking out between my sidewalk, the one trying to grow up the side of my house, I realize that they are perfectly at home in my garden. They love it there and should I allow them to stay? No! I rip the weeds out of the ground, believing I got it all. But a tender root, raw from the damage, silently repairs itself and grows back. I appreciate the strength of the smallest fragment of root left behind that will grow into something green and full of life. The cycle continues.
We all have those tender roots of faith buried deep inside of us. Should we allow that tiny fragment of faith to grab onto our soul and grow into something beautiful? The youth group have been talking about Faith and what that means. Our group is digging down deep and exposing the bare earth of our heart. When the youth say “I’m afraid that God doesn’t hear me when I pray, or I’m not sure what or who God is or God seems distant and uncaring. What happens after we die?”. We advisers say, you are not alone in this struggle to believe, that we also ask the same questions. When I look at the pleading faces of our youth, I see faith trying to squeeze through the cracks and reach toward the light. I see the tap root growing deeper and wrapping it’s tendrils around the heart and soul. I see the vine creeping just along the surface, unnoticed and making it’s way on the landscape of a young life. Each week, we fertilize this garden to strengthen the faith that has begun to grow.
I remind them what Hebrews 11:6 says: and without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. It doesn’t say how much faith you need, just that you need some. It doesn’t say you have to know without a doubt that God exists. Just know there is a God and that he exists and seekers will be rewarded. Each time we get together, we learn what the bible says about God. We listen to each other’s faith journey. We mediate and pray. Faith grows.
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